New Delhi, July 20: A massive police crackdown marked the CJP’s ‘Chalo Sansad’ march as thousands of students and youth attempting to reach Parliament were baton-charged, detained and stopped behind multiple layers of barricades. The nationwide protest on Monday, held on the opening day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, sought sweeping reforms in the examination system, greater transparency in recruitment and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The demonstration, one of the largest student-led mobilisations witnessed in the national capital in recent years, culminated in the Union Government opening a dialogue with representatives of the movement later in the day after hours of protests and widespread public attention.
Parliament Placed Under Tight Security
Delhi Police converted the Parliament precinct into a high-security zone. Multiple layers of barricades were erected on all major roads leading to Parliament House, while large contingents of Delhi Police, the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and other security personnel were deployed across central Delhi, including Jantar Mantar, Parliament Street, Patel Chowk and Vijay Chowk.
Authorities had denied permission for the march towards Parliament, citing security concerns during the Monsoon Session and prohibitory restrictions around the Parliament complex. Public announcements repeatedly instructed protesters not to move beyond designated areas.
Thousands Join the March
Thousands of students, youth and supporters assembled in central Delhi carrying the National Flag and raising slogans in support of the movement’s demands. The organisers had appealed to participants to maintain peace, avoid violence and refrain from carrying political party flags, projecting the agitation as a citizens’ movement seeking institutional reforms rather than a partisan political campaign.
The protest also drew the participation and support of several prominent personalities. Education reform campaigner Sonam Wangchuk, whose hospitalisation during the course of the agitation became a major point of concern for supporters, remained one of the central figures associated with the movement. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke led the mobilisation, while actors Shabana Azmi and Prakash Raj joined the protest in solidarity. Leaders and representatives from several opposition parties also participated in or extended support to the march, lending the agitation wider political visibility.
Police strike the March
As the procession moved towards Parliament, protesters encountered successive rows of police barricades. Demonstrators gathered in large numbers near the barricades, raised slogans and sought to continue the march. In several places, groups of protesters sat on the roads after being prevented from proceeding further.
When sections of the gathering attempted to move beyond the barricades, police launched a lathi-charge at multiple locations. Baton-wielding personnel advanced towards the protesters, striking demonstrators and forcing them away from restricted areas. Tear gas was also used at some locations to disperse sections of the crowd.
Videos from different parts of the protest showed police personnel chasing protesters, striking them with batons, dragging some participants across the road and carrying others into waiting police buses. Hundreds of protesters were detained during the operation and transported to police stations and temporary detention centres across the city. Several participants sustained injuries during the police action, with visual footage showing injured protesters receiving assistance from fellow demonstrators and volunteers.
Protesters Hold Their Ground
Despite the police action, many protesters remained seated on the roads, continued raising slogans and waved the National Flag as police personnel advanced. Several demonstrators offered no physical resistance even while being dragged away or carried into police vehicles. Images of protesters standing their ground amid the baton charge emerged as some of the most widely shared visuals of the day’s events, drawing nationwide attention through television broadcasts and social media.
The organisers condemned the police action, maintaining that the march had remained peaceful and that participants had assembled to place their demands before the country’s highest democratic institution. They declared that the movement would continue until meaningful action was taken on its demands.
One of the unresolved issues emerging from Monday’s protest was the presence of several baton-carrying individuals whose official identity was not immediately apparent. Their participation in the crowd-control operation has become a subject of public scrutiny, with protesters demanding that authorities clarify who they were, which organisation they belonged to, and under what legal authority they were deployed.
Police Defend Their Action
Delhi Police defended the operation, stating that permission had not been granted for the march towards Parliament and that elaborate security arrangements were essential because Parliament was in session. Police officials maintained that protesters attempted to cross security barricades despite repeated warnings and said the action was necessary to prevent any breach of the high-security Parliament zone and to maintain public order.
Government Opens Dialogue
As the day progressed, the unexpectedly large turnout, the determination displayed by protesters despite the police action and the nationwide attention generated by the agitation preceded the Union Government’s decision to initiate talks with representatives of the movement.
Senior Union Government leaders held discussions with CJP representatives later in the day. Following the meeting, movement leaders described the talks as a positive beginning but clarified that the agitation would continue until concrete decisions were taken on their demands, including examination reforms, accountability for alleged irregularities and the resignation of the Union Education Minister.
The developments on Monday transformed the ‘Chalo Sansad’ march into one of the most significant public mobilisations of the current Monsoon Session, placing the demands of the movement firmly at the centre of the national political discourse.
